Merredin hosts GM wheat trial

Western Australia's first genetically modified (GM) wheat crops could be available to growers by 2017.

The CSIRO is conducting a GM wheat trial on two different strains on a property in the wheatbelt town of Merredin.

The trial aims to develop strains which increase yield and use nitrogen more efficiently.

The CSIRO's Bruce Lee says it is the state's first trial of GM wheat in almost seven years.

"We're saying 2017 and often it is the case that these traits take longer to bring into the marketplace," he said.

"So we're projecting that 2017 and again that depends on how quickly these traits can go through the regulatory process that we have to go through to determine the safety and the efficacy of the crop."